James Blake made a recent appearance on comedian Theo Von’s This Past Weekend podcast, where he interestingly opened up about his thoughts regarding musicians not being the greatest people to talk to.
“When it comes to musicians, we’re not… we don’t tend to be the most articulate people, for some reason,” Blake said at 6:39 into the episode. “I think we’re not the best people to have conversations with. So, I had to branch out. Not because I’m such a great conversationalist, but because I noticed a lot of my conversations with musicians tended to be more one-dimensional.”
Blake goes on to compare musicians’ way of speaking to Pavlov’s conditioning psychology, as he notes that while singers and songwriters are capable of communicating their emotions through music, they tend to be more anxious and struggle with other forms of conversation. He also admitted to having the same problem.
“I’m just saying as a general rule, musicians… I had to find my words, really,” he continued later in the video (at 12:36). “If you’d met me maybe seven or eight years ago, I probably wouldn’t have sustained a friendship, for starters. I think I would have been intimidated or not socially comfortable enough.”
While the conversation between Blake and Von lasts for over two hours, fans of both performers were entertained in the comments section by the crossover and their friendship.
While we might never see the day when Radiohead performs an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, we will happily “settle” for the next best thing from The Smile. After recently completing a month-long tour of North America in support of their debut album, A Light For Attracting Attention, The Smile’s live performance from NPR’s offices in Washington D.C. came out today.
The band presumably stopped off for a session behind Bob Boilen’s desk on their tour stop in the nation’s capital in November, because they were clearly in top touring form. Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and Tom Skinner were also joined by saxophonist Robert Stillman as they coursed through a three-song set of “Pana-vision,” “The Smoke,” and “Skrting On the Surface.”
Donning a purple skullcap a la the dude in the “Paranoid Android” music video, Yorke was in especially shape-shifting form during the performance. He moved from piano to bass to guitar in each of the songs, while singing blissfully through it all. The set’s greatest moment was easily the closer, “Skrting On the Surface,” when Yorke and Greenwood both just went crazy on their guitars as Skinner tapped away hypnotically on his drum set.
Watch The Smile perform their NPR Tiny Desk Concert above.
At that point, football became secondary to the health of Hamlin, who remains sedated and in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center as of Tuesday afternoon when his family released its first statement. The Bills flew back to Buffalo (with some players staying back to be with Damar), indicating there would not be a quick resumption of play. On Tuesday the league confirmed the game will not be resumed this week, with no determination on whether it would be continued at a later date or cancelled completely.
The NFL also noted that there are no changes to the Week 18 schedule as of now, with the playoffs set to begin on Saturday Jan. 14. The need for time off between games means rescheduling games is nearly impossible, and the league will have to eventually make a decision on whether to adjust the playoff schedule or cancel the game outright. As the NFL’s statement notes, that all is of far less importance than Hamlin’s health and one would expect the league to hold off on scheduling decisions as long as possible in hopes that there will be a positive update on Hamlin’s condition on the horizon.
The league also sent a longer memo to teams that provided the option for additional mental health resources and counseling as players around the NFL try to deal with the terrifying visual of seeing a player collapse and go into cardiac arrest on the field.
Even though Yellowstone is one of the biggest shows among your midwest relatives (and the whole country for that matter), but the stars still seem pretty shocked at the impact the series has. What other show has a spinoff starring Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, a bunch of cute cows, and some pesky republican accusations?
The mid-season finale aired this week, and while there were some cliffhangers that won’t be resolved until the series returns this summer, one mystery from the finale has been solved, and that’s who the heck Clara, Dutton’s new ally played by Lilli Kay, was smooching.
Kay spoke with Deadline to reveal the mystery person behind the kiss, and the story is actually quite amusing. The actors were under strict Covid-related precautions while filming, which inspired a last-minute change: “It was written that Clara is making out with someone in the background behind John and Summer. And we were trying to figure out who was easy and comfortable [to cast] who was also in the testing cycle,” Kay explained. The series was filmed over the summer in Missoula.
“My partner, Juli Kocemba, was there with me in Montana so they said, ‘oh, let’s just have you guys make out in the background.’ My partner’s non-binary, se were like, ‘well it’s a gender fluid make out in the background.’” Kay explained, adding that they didn’t think much of it. “We thought, nobody’s gonna make a big a big deal about it. And then a lot of people made a very big deal about it.” As it turns out, some people did notice, and they weren’t happy with the (single, quick, and harmless) kiss.
Kay continued, “It was very funny because I did not expect anyone to even really catch it. And then people were like, lesbians on the range! It was very, very funny. But it was a fun little evening.” Despite the backlash from various unnamed Twitter users, Kay and her partner weren’t fazed. “We got to listen to some really good music and hang out and quietly make out in the background. Lesbians on the ranch!” Lesbians on the ranch! Let’s go lesbians on the ranch!
Back in November, Kellyanne Conway appeared in front of the House select committee investigating the January 6th Capitol riot. The transcript from her testimony was released this week, and in it, Trump’s former counselor (the two are on the outs) reveals that she didn’t contact the president on that fateful day — she got in touch with his wife, Melania.
“I texted her, please — something to the effect of, you know, please talk to him, because I know he listens to her,” Conway told the committee. “He listens to many of us, but he reserves fear for one person, Melania.” Donald Trump is like a doofus husband from a 1950s sitcom who’s afraid that his wife (who reportedly called him out for “blowing” the response to COVID-19) is going to kabong his head with a frying pan.
Conway said the first lady “didn’t have her phone,” however, and [was] “preparing for the end of term.” Melania said so herself in a July 2022 Fox News interview — claiming ignorance to the fact that the Capitol was breached. “She didn’t know what was going on,” Conway told the panel. “And I’m offended that nobody ran in there to tell the First Lady of the United States that, I mean, she and her teenage son may be, I don’t know, at risk.”
As a reminder, this is Melania’s alleged response to the violence on January 6th:
It’s an understatement to say that Wednesday is a major hit for Netflix. The show also impeccably timed itself to avoid the October rush of spooky content while aiming for the binge-friendly Thanksgiving weekend, and after three weeks, the show reached the one-billion streaming-hours mark. Still, Netflix seems to be sitting in an odd spot lately, kind of a holding pattern, before they rapidly greenlight followup seasons. We’re still waiting to hear about Season 6 for crowd favorite series Cobra Kai, and The Sandman fans endured a nightmarish wait for Season 2 news, given that the show’s quite expensive, according to Neil Gaiman.
Where does that put Wednesday, though? The notoriously poker-faced Jenna Ortega gave the world an updated title character (following her The Addams Family predecessors) that’s keeping viewers invested, but there’s been no official update as of yet from Netflix. On a speculative note, however, a recent Deadline article (on Amazon closing its deal to acquire MGM) has prompted NME to read between the lines while reflecting on Netflix’s silence:
This, teamed with the recent purchase of the show’s studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) to Amazon, hint that Netflix may lose the rights to the show for any potential second season.
However, Deadline report that Amazon’s MGM deal doesn’t automatically ensure that all content from the producer becomes exclusive to Amazon Prime Video, so Netflix may yet retain the rights for Wednesday season two.
Granted, this could all simply be about Netflix waiting to see how their new year shapes up before making any major Wednesday calls, but the merger aspect is something to consider. Whatever the case, it would be a strange development if we didn’t hear something soonish about Season 2, so that Ortega can get ready to not blink during another dance scene because (let’s get real) there’s gotta be one.
Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago bash was clearly the place to be this New Year’s Eve. First, there was the former president ringing in the new year with a truly rousing speech in which he attempted to blame the winter storms for MyPillow King Mike Lindell and Rudy Giuliani being the only people who showed up to his party. Then, Mr. Four Seasons Total Landscaping himself took the time to record and post what might be the most inspiring message he’s ever delivered — only because you couldn’t hear a word he said.
While toasting 2023 with the rest of the MAGA elite (all two of them), Giuliani turned his phone inward and recorded a message for all to hear… but all anyone could hear was whatever band actually agreed to play at Mar-a-Lago busting out a banger rendition of “Footloose.” While Giuliani surprised everyone by having enough sense to actually delete the post after being brutally roasted over it (sorry!), The Independent fortunately kept a copy of it for posterity — and helpfully tried to caption what words could be heard, including “I’m.” If Melania Trump had to guess how that sentence might have ended, she might have gone with: “I’m hoping to catch Melania in her robe a little later.”
Unfortunately, the world will never know what sage words Rudy had for us, but you can watch his message hilariously being rendered moot — and mute — while everybody cuts (everybody cuts) footloose here.
According to CNN, Santos’ bizarre/brazen/idiotic decision to throw himself into the congressional spotlight with a resume full of lies has led authorities in Brazil to carry on with a more than decade-old fraud investigation into the (supposedly) 34-year-old. Police are requesting a “formal response” from Santos regarding a 2008 incident in which the shiny new congressman — who would have been 19 years old at the time — reportedly spent $700 at a clothing store using a fake name and stolen checkbook. The New York Times reported that Santos originally copped to the caper, and was charged with embezzlement, but never showed up to court.
The case was eventually all but abandoned as Brazilian authorities could not locate Santos. Cut to: a successful congressional campaign in 2022. With Santos’ whereabouts not well known to authorities, Maristela Pereira, a spokesperson for the Rio de Janeiro prosecutor’s office, told CNN that they will be reaching out to the DOJ in order to notify Santos of the outstanding charges against him.
When asked about the charges, Santos told The New York Times: “I am not a criminal here – not here or in Brazil or any jurisdiction in the world. Absolutely not. That didn’t happen.” And if there’s one thing we have learned about Santos, it’s that you can absolutely believe every word that comes out of his mouth.
If convicted, Newsweek reports that Santos could face up to five years in prison.
Meanwhile, his GOP colleagues apparently want nothing to do with Santos, which says a lot.
Hip-hop is a culture, but thanks to decades of promotion, it has become a viable career path for many. Rapper Westside Gunn can attest to this. From the release of his music to producing for other acts and even entry into acting, the co-founder of the independent record label Griselda Records has seen his share of success. According to the producer, he is ready to hang it all up.
In a series of tweets, the musician shared, “2023 [will] definitely be my last year doing this sh*t.” His reasoning was, “I don’t have nothing else to prove.”
As a proud Buffalo, New York native, he wrote, “I put my team on. I put my city on. I worked with everybody I ever wanted to work with. Plus, m*therf*ckers still don’t even understand 1-10, FLYGOD, Awesome GOD, or Pray for Paris.”
23’ def my last year doing this shit, I don’t have nothing else 2prove, I put my team on, I put my city on, I worked w/everybody I ever wanted to work with, plus MFs still don’t even understand 1-10, FLYGOD, Awesome GOD, or Pray for Paris(mind u Virgil did the cover) im the
As fans of the genre know, not many rappers genuinely retire from the music industry. But Gunn assures he is serious about his upcoming plans, writing, “I know I say I’m a retire all the time, so people might be like ‘he always says this.’ Seriously, I’ve been through so much with this sh*t behind closed doors that y’all would never know. It’s brought more pain than joy. I’m just so G that I make it look super easy, but I fight these devils every day.” One of those battles included health complications. The other is lack of support.
I know I say I’m a retire all the time so ppl might be like he always say this, seriously I been thru so much with this shit behind closed doors y’all would never know, it’s brought more pain than joy I’m just so G that I make it look super easy but I fight these devils everyday
After listing out his rather extensive professional resume, Gunn stands on his claims of being the greatest rapper of all time, writing, “I only brought y’all the best art. I elevated the Hip-hop culture. I bridged the gap. I showed people how you could make money. I showed people to never change and do it your way. I’ve literally showed you all […] at an elite level, no compromising!”
If ONLY brought y’all the best ART, I elevated the Hip Hop culture, I bridged the Gap, I showed ppl how u could make money, I showed ppl to never change and do it your way I’ve literally showed you, all 10YRs fly Gangsta shit at an elite level no compromising!!!!
Gunn closed out the series of tweets by thanking musicians who have supported him, including Roc Marci, Action Bronson, Alchemist, Skyzoo, Danny Brown, and more.
I wanna thank Planet Asia, Roc Marci, Action Bronson, Hus Kingpin, Alchemist, Skyzoo, Danny Brown,Statik Selektah, Prodigy, AA Rashid for being there for me early they showed me it was possible and I just started running
To say that the brewing world in the US has absolutely exploded in the past twenty-plus years is a ridiculous understatement. Back in 2000, less than 1,500 breweries operated in the country. Today, we have over 9,000. And while there are breweries scattered everywhere from Bangor to Bakersfield, there are also cities where the number of breweries is particularly dense and overall quality is exceptionallyhigh.
Road trips are great — made even better when the long journey ends with a ton of amazing, high-quality beer. Stouts, IPAs, lagers, sour ales, we love them all. But we don’t think just randomly hopping in your car and driving to a random destination in search of beer is the best course of action. Instead, we asked a few of our favorite brewers, craft beer experts, and beer professionals to tell us the absolute best beer cities to visit in 2023. Keep scrolling to see all of their malts and hops-centric can’t-miss destinations.
Tampa Bay
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Tyler Adams, the Florida and Georgia territory manager at Riverbend Malt House in Asheville, North Carolina
That is a hard question because I get to go and see so many great beer cities. Atlanta, Athens, Birmingham, and even Orlando with their great growth over the past couple of years are all fantastic cities in their own right. Although, if I was to plant my flag in a city that I currently think is the best beer city I would have to say Tampa, Florida, and its surrounding areas. I have fantastic beer all across the Southeast but the reason I think Tampa is the best beer city is the spirit collaboration that is ingrained in the beer culture there. Every time I travel to that area, I get to meet with brewers that are constantly collaborating with other brewers in the city, the state, and even from all over the country. It is amazing to see so many people come and share knowledge with each other and make some awesome unique beers. There is no other prime example of this when Tampa Beer Week happens, and you see brewers from all over the nation come and participate in local brew fests and planning collabs for the upcoming year.
So, in short, the reason why I give this city my stamp for best beer city is that I get to see all my favorite brewers come and create awesome innovative brews together. It really captures why craft beer came to be in the first place.
Other Breweries Include:
Green Bench Brewing, Cigar City Brewing, Magnanimous Brewing, and Angry Chair Brewing.
Trying not to show bias, I feel that San Diego is the best beer city for a variety of reasons: First, it is home to over 150 breweries and brewpubs including Internationally known and respected award-winners such as AleSmith, Ballast Point, Lost Abby, Pizza Port, and Stone. San Diego Beer Week is a 10-day celebration of brewing that draws visitors from far and near and out-grosses the world-famous Comic-Con annually according to the San Diego Department of Tourism. The final reason is a single word: comradery.
The San Diego brewing scene is well known for its unusual sense of comradery among its’ brewers and breweries — a rare and wonderful thing.
Other Breweries Include:
Burgeon Beer Co, Fall Brewing, Coronado Brewing, and Pure Project.
It’s hard for me to not say the greater Los Angeles area, mainly due to my inability to get out much. But look at the pedigree of brewers that we have here who just keep populating our county with more and more mitosis of talented people launching into projects and sailing high right off the bat. There is a fantastic balance and lightness, brightness, and airiness valued here that I feel can be described as our own drinking terroir versus the more resin and IBU-forward nature of San Diego or the earthy/doughy aspects of Denver’s scene. A very quick namedrop of some of my personal favorites: Ogopogo, Arrow Lodge, Claremont Craft, Common Space, El Segundo, Beachwood, Highland Park, HopSaint, Mumford, and Party Beer Co.
Other Breweries Include:
All Seasons Brewing, Monkish Brewing, Golden Road Brewing, and Boomtown Brewery.
I once spent a day walking my way around Asheville, North Carolina. Here’s a list of breweries I was able to hit on foot. Asheville Brewing Co. is an area stalwart and home to the World Beer Cup gold-winning Ninja Porter. New Belgium Brewing Co. constructed a beautiful production facility overlooking the French Broad River (great for people-watching when tubers float by during summer) and offers tours every half hour. Burial Beer Co. is in my top ten breweries in the country, and it has two locations in the city (one of which is the must-visit forestry camp, a repurposed facility built among the trees of Asheville for the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933). Bhramari Brewing Co. is a spot with unique, ingredient-driven beers, upscale food, and a funky aesthetic. And there are many, many more to which my tired feet weren’t able to take me.
Asheville has more breweries per capita than nearly every city in the country, and nearly every one of them is outstanding. No other beer city can compare to its combination of walkability and caliber.
Other Breweries Include:
Wicked Weed Brewing, Ben’s Tune-Up, Hi-Wire Brewing, and One World Brewing.
Denver
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Wes Burbank, head brewer at Flix Brewhouse in San Antonio
I haven’t traveled much in the past few years, but my favorite beer city is absolutely Denver. There are world-class examples of just about every imaginable type of beer being made at breweries throughout the city. I have particularly enjoyed Comrade, Crooked Stave, Cohesion, Bierstadt, and Little Machine.
My favorite brewpub is Live Slow, which also has a bowling alley— how cool is that?
Other Breweries Include:
Great Divide Brewing, Call to Arms Brewing, Wynkoop brewing, and TRVE Brewing.
I’m definitely biased, but I think Portland is the best beer city. We have loads of talented brewers making solid beer. A couple of breweries I really like that I don’t work at are Steeplejack and Breakside because they both have great beer as well as great food. Currently, there are more than seventy breweries in and around Portland. There’s definitely something for every beer drinker. It’s a city where you’ll never run out of new and exciting breweries to try.
Other Breweries Include:
Wayfinder Beer, Occidental Brewing, Cascade Brewing, and Culmination Brewing.
It’s a toss-up between San Diego and Fort Collins, Colorado. But I’m going to go with my original hometown, Fort Collins. You can throw a rock in just about any direction and hit a brewery. There are concentrated pockets throughout town making it very easy to visit multiple breweries in a short amount of time.
With nearly thirty to choose from, there is something for everyone but my must-stop breweries are Funkwerks and Zwei Brewing. Funkwerks makes some of the best Belgian-inspired beers in the country. Their saison is the standard bearer for the style but my go-to is the strong saison known as Tropic King. Zwei Brewing on the south side of town might be the most underrated brewery in Colorado, but the people who know, know because this place is busy seven days a week. Order from the left side of the menu for perfectly crafted German-style lager and Weissbier (their specialties) or look to the right side of the menu for great examples of IPA, fruited sour, and the occasional offering in the Belgian style.
Other Breweries Include:
Odell Brewing, New Belgium Brewing, Snowbank Brewing, Equinox Brewing, and Intersect Brewing.
Milwaukee
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Garth E. Beyer, certified Cicerone® and owner and founder of Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, Wisconsin
Every day of my life I teeter-totter between thinking Denver is the best beer city and Milwaukee, (basically my backyard) is the best beer city. In my eyes, Denver wins because of the walkability to so many breweries near each other. Then Milwaukee wins because of the sheer volume of innovation that happens–you have some creating AI-inspired beers, others relaunching pre-prohibition beers, some contract brewing wild brews that get sent out across the nation. The list goes on. In Denver, check out Woods Boss. In Milwaukee, check out Amorphic. If I had to pick one, it would be Milwaukee because of its mix of historical and contemporary brewing.
Other Breweries Include:
Eagle Park Brewing, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee Brewing Co, and MobCraft Beer.
I have been traveling to Portland, Maine in search of great beer for years and have never been disappointed. Portland has a wide variety of breweries to explore that specialize in everything from old-world Belgian-inspired beers to everything one could want from new-school hype. Taprooms like Oxbow’s Blending and Bottling are plentiful. Complete with seasonal outdoor spaces, food trucks, if not full-on food programs, and they all tend to be fully booked with various events showcasing the music, art, and culture of Portland and beyond. If taprooms aren’t your thing, spots like Novare Res have curated draft lists that rival most craft beer bars throughout the world. What’s most impressive is that the service industry as a whole in Portland celebrates its local offerings. I have yet to walk into a bar or restaurant that isn’t serving up several offerings of tasty brews from a brewery in their city. My advice, bundle up and head there in the winter. The hotels are cheap, the restaurants slow down a bit, you’re far less likely to run into any bachelor or bachelorette parties and the beer is still very, very abundant.
Other Breweries Include:
Allagash Brewing, Bissell Brothers Brewing, Lone Pine Brewing, and The Shipyard Brewing Company.
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(@RonFilipkowski) 
